From Beginning To...

  Who would have known that game development could be so hard?   Oh right, literally everyone.   So this week I attempted to get my first playable level up and running. I did a lot of work this week, and a lot of trial and error - mostly error. A lot of time was spent trying to combine two types of character controller - WASD and Point and Click. As I explained in a previous post, the only way I could get Point and Click to work was by implementing Click to Move rather than WASD. I tried to combine C# codes and amalgamate the two, but to no avail. My character and controller have been completely stripped back to basics, and I am going forward with a Click to Move control scheme.   Another change I have made is an active camera. Originally I planned to have a static camera that did not move or rotate, just simply followed the player from one position. I found that the player would get lost behind buildings and other assets quite easily, and I found that the acti...

This is what my computer may as well have been doing Image Source:  Wikimedia   This week, I am completing tutorials that suit my specific game. I have already used several tutorials thus far, although I can’t recall exactly which ones. At this point, I am skimming several different videos looking for the information that I need and then moving on to the next one. The toughest part is getting different codes to work in tandem with one another. My initial plan was to control the player character using WASD, and have a mouse cursor to interact with objects and characters in the game world. However, it seems as though I will have to choose between click to move as well as interact, or using the keyboard to do both. I’m sure there is a way of doing what I want, but I am unable to find out how. Tracking Camera This is a video by Brackeys - a developer who’s work has helped my own quite a bit. I was able to use this tutorial to get the main camera to smoothly follow the Play...

  " Natural Funativity " is an article by Noah Falstein where he explores the reasons why we find games fun. Falstein's previous boss, Steve Arnold, began working in the games industry after years as a child psychologist. He understood the minds of the target audience for games, and would often ask, "What is the Funativity Quotient?" This question implied that fun could be "categorized, defined, perhaps even measured."   Games are a specialised form of play, and play is an activity that all species use to practice survival skills. It is an instinct. Education and entertainment are very closely linked, and even when it isn't obviously apparent, often times entertainment is, at the same time, educational. We see this in children - a lot of their play involves imitating adults and the tasks that they do. Play can keep skills sharp in a safe, controlled and relaxed environment.   Physical, Social and Mental fun are all parts or what makes games en...